Movie Quote of the Week

I'd stay away from wasps if I were you, Mrs. Starlin.
--William Roerick, The Wasp Woman (1959)

TV Quote of the Week

Mom, you can’t spend too much time on a computer. You’re thinking about a tanning bed.
--Molly Ephraim, Last Man Standing, "The Fight"

Fantasy Quote of the Week

If one cannot learn from the mistakes of others, one might as well become a Democrat.
--Esther Friesner, "The Wedding of Wylda Serene"

Science Fiction Quote of the Week

As for reform, or change, or originality of any kind, that’s always been the toughest proposition on earth. Even in bad times people hate the thought of changing anything, or reforming their ways.
--Aron in Edgar Pangborn's “The Freshman Angle”

Thought About the Flint River

If a group of terrorists dumped hazardous chemicals in a local river and destroyed the drinking water of an entire community, most Americans would be screaming for Homeland Security to go out and arrest the bastards. But when American corporations do the same thing, we are supposed to just accept it as the price we pay for a healthy job climate...

Quote of the Week

I know some who are constantly drunk on books as other men are drunk on whiskey.
--H. L. Mencken

Mixed Message?

Apparently the Japanese Do Have a Word for It

But I'm not sure it applies to me. After all, I actually try to read all the books I buy. Sometimes more than once.

And yet the mentality behind this word does not quite seem all that foreign to me. No pun intended, of course.

R.I.P. Harlan Ellison

American writer Harlan Ellison -- best known for such short stories as "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" and "I Have No Mouth Yet I Must Scream" as well as for his "Glass Teat" columns and his Dangerous Visions anthologies, not to mention his achievements in other fields of writing -- put the cover on his typewriter for the final time on June 28, 2018, at age 84.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Tom Wolfe

American writer Tom Wolfe -- best known for such novels as The Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man in Full -- took off his white suit for the last time on May 14, 2018, at age 88.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Kit Reed

American writer Kit Reed -- best known for such short stories as "The Wait" and "The Attack of the Giant Baby" -- penned the last page of her autobiography on September 24, 2017 at age 85.

She will be missed.

R.I.P. Berni Wrightson

American comic book artist Berni Wrightson -- most famous for being the co-creator of the DC character Swamp Thing -- finished up his final drawing on March 17, 2017 at age 68.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Lupita Tovar

Mexican actress Lupita Tovar -- best known in the US for her role as Mina in the Spanish-language version of the 1931 movie Dracula -- passed away without a cross or stake on November 12, 2016, at age 106.

She will be missed.

Modern Spanish Words

1. acción afirmativa -- affirmative action.
2. baño de cultura -- cultural immersion.
3. blindaje de virtud -- virtue shielding.
4. calentamiento global -- global warming.
5. cambio climático -- climate change.
6. ciudadanía -- citizenship.
7. ciudadano de segunda clase -- second-class citizen.
8. ciudadano de segunda -- second-class citizen.
9. clasismo -- classism.
10. clima de trabajo -- work environment; work climate.
11. clima intelectual -- intellectual climate.
12. conciencia de clase -- class consciousness.
13. ¡Controla tus prejuicios! -- check your privilege.
14. corrección política -- political correctness.
15. cosificación sexual -- sexual objectification.
16. cuidador -- male caregiver.
17. cuidadora -- female caregiver.
18. delito de odio -- hate crime
19. deshumanización -- dehumanization.
20. discriminación -- discrimination.
21. edad -- age.
22. elefante en la habitación -- elephant in the room.
23. elite cultural -- cultural elite.
24. empoderamiento -- empowerment.
25. enfermedades de transmisión sexual (ETS) -- STDs
26. enfermedades venéreas -- venereal diseases.
27. guerra cultural -- culture war.
28. guerreros de la justicia social -- social justice warriors.
29. hechos alternativos -- alternative facts.
30. Hembras Blancas Iracundas -- Angry White Females.
31. Hombres Blancos Iracundos -- Angry White Men.
32. homosexualidad -- homosexuality.
33. huida blanca -- white flight.
34. imperialismo -- imperialism.
35. incorrección política -- political incorrectness.
36. interseccionalidad -- intersectionality.
37. lo que sea -- whatever!
38. lucha de clases -- class conflict; class struggle.
39. lluvia de ideas -- brainstorming.
40. machoexplicación -- mansplaining
41. no pidas, no digas -- don't ask, don't tell.
42. nuevo rico -- new rich; nouveau riche.
43. objetificación -- objectification.
44. Olimpiadas de Opresión -- Oppression Olympics.
45. perforación del cuerpo -- body piercing.
46. persona de color -- person of color.
47. políticamente incorrecto -- politically incorrect.
48. porno de la pobreza -- poverty porn.
49. prejudicio -- prejudice.
50. prejuicio cultural -- cultural cringe.
51. privilegio -- privilege.
52. puntal -- strut.
53. puntal cultural -- cultural strut.
54. Regla 34 -- Rule 34.
55. salir del armario -- coming out of the closet; coming out as a homosexual.
56. sexo seguro -- safe sex.
57. silicio -- silicon.
58. sueño americano -- American dream.
59. supervivencia del más apto -- survival of the fittest.
60. varones blancos europeos muertos -- dead white European males.
61. yo también -- me too.

Random Thoughts

1. I must admit that I feel a tad guilty that the first time I saw this image on the Rod Dreher site, my first thought was "Thank God it wasn't one of us." Yet another unneeded reminder that journalism can be a dangerous profession.

2. Apparently it was 1960 again last week. I guess that means it's the wrong month for me to admit that one of my favorite first cousins is a Charismatic Catholic just like Ms. Barrett. So I'm a bit perturbed that so many otherwise smart people choose to respond to the possibility that Ms. Barrett might be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by pulling out the old "Catholics are weird" card. Not to mention the inevitable "dual loyalties" card that was supposedly retired in 1960.

3. Apparently Bernie Sanders was not a fluke. At least that's what I deduce from the recent election in New York of Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Though I must admit it was fun watching some allegedly mature adults try to write off Sanders as yet another white male politician as if Jewish Socialists from New England win presidential primaries all the time.

4. Bill Clinton and James Patterson wrote a book. Who knew Patterson had it in him?

Quote of the Week

Protesting assumptions is futile in the borderlands. Appearance alone determines whether your citizenry is questioned and allegiances tested on a back road far from earshot. For much of my life, I wallowed in guilt over the privilege my light skin and blue eyes have granted me, but I've come to recognize the vanity of this emotion. Guilt does not free anyone from a detention center or equip a home with a septic tank. The only proper response to privilege is to grip it like a baseball bat and shatter injustice with all of your might.
--Stephanie Elizondo Griest, All the Agents and Saints: Dispatches from the U.S. Borderlands

My Laptop Is Dead

I have had it for almost ten years now so it was bound to go out eventually. It just chose today to do so and not even all the king's men -- or for that matter, the local geek squad -- could put it back together again.

Fortunately, most of my files are saved on flash drives nowadays but it's still a major inconvenience. I might have a new laptop within a few days depending on my budget. We'll see.

Pop Song of the Week: "Mr. Bass Man"

The best musical dialogue of all time.

Movie Song of the Week: "Siberia"

One of the few Cold War movies songs about the downside of the former Soviet Union. Or, if you prefer, a premature musical tribute to Vladimir Putin -- co-sung by Peter Lorre of all people!

Selvas

1. selva--forest; woods.
2. selva oscura -- dark wood; dark jungle.
3. selva pluvial--rainforest.
4. selva tropical--rainforest.
5. selva virgen--virgin forest.

Movie Quote of the Week

Ignorance brings chaos, not knowledge.
--Scarlett Johansson, Lucy (2014)

TV Quote of the Week

I read books. That's like the Internet but printed on paper.
--Sydney Rae White, Marley's Ghosts, "Episode Two"

Book of the Week

I have long enjoyed the writing of Stephanie Elizondo Griest but I would like to think that her latest book -- All the Agents and Saints: Dispatches from the U.S. Borderlands -- is her best book yet -- perhaps because it was so ambitious but more likely because it was so angry. I found it hard to read the book without finding at least one item to be angry about -- and no, I'm not talking about bad grammar or misspelled words, I'm talking about the events Ms. Griest described in the book when writing during her various visits to the Mexican and Canadian border country. She wrote about a lot of things worth getting angry about -- ethnic discrimination, environmental racism, illegal drugs, unsolved murders, and so forth. As you might guess, she also wrote quite a bit about illegal immigration but even there she had a different take on the issue than most Hispanic apologists. As you might guess, she was not overly fond of our current president but she also didn't pretend that all the problems on our southern border began on January 20, 2017.

My biggest problem with the book is that it made me want to hulk out and hit somebody -- preferably one of the many people responsible for the problems she described in her book. And as you might guess, that's not exactly a very productive strategy.

However, the book did teach me a lot I didn't know about the Mexican and Canadian borders. And the parallels Ms. Griest drew between the two borders I found most fascinating. In any event, knowing about a problem is all too often the first step in solving it.

Another Year Older and Deeper in Debt

I had a good birthday celebration last week thanks to my mother and my youngest brother, but I'm finding it harder and harder to find time to write, and when I do write, I find it harder and harder to resist the temptation to sound like Dr. Greg House. And of course, it doesn't help that the last time I got out of the hospital, I thought quite seriously about buying a cane due to assorted health problems. Such problems have since been resolved but still...

On the bright side, I'm still employed.

I hope that all my loyal readers are enjoying good fortune as well.

¡Feliz Cuatro de Julio!

Michelle Rodriguez and I want to wish a belated happy Fourth of July to all my loyal readers. I hope you all had a great holiday.